-
·
The Right Instructions for the Right Results
In the Gospel of John, Chapter 5, Jesus Christ had gone to Jerusalem for the Passover. He came to a pool called Bethesda, and it had five porches. On certain seasons, an angel would trouble the water, and whoever went in the pool first after the troubling of the…
-
·
A New Heart Brings New Blessings!
The Prophet Ezekiel delivered a powerful Word of Prophecy from the Lord, our God, to the people of Israel. In Ezekiel 36:26-27(NLT), God told them, “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender,…
-
·
The Privilege of Loving You
“38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed,…
-
·
Why Not Choose Me?
Proverbs 18:22 (NLT) “The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord.” It is becoming increasingly popular for women to propose to men. While commercials depicting this scenario received a thumbs-up from women’s rights organization for championing women’s options, as believers many of us are not on board.…
-
·
Assignment without Assistance
In Genesis 2:18(NLT), God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” Not only is God revealing His heart for humanity in this verse, but He, the Creator of all, has said that something isn’t good. Therefore, it would behoove us…
-
·
You Won’t Find Him in the Noise
This past week was pivotal in my relationship with God. I decided that I could no longer continue to give the world so much of my time during the weekdays. Human-beings are creatures of habit, and we sometimes let social media, or the television consume way too much of our time because we’ve adapted these…
-
·
Throwing Pearls to Those Who Can’t Catch Them!
Dear Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:6(NLT), “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.” When I first heard this verse, I was a little taken aback because it kinda’ compares unholy folks to swine.…
-
·
Removing Thoughts that Block the Blessing of Marriage
If you’ve ever read an in-depth article or watched a good video about replacing a leaky faucet or repairing an outdated piece of equipment, you know they give a ton of information. Many of them provide step-by-step instructions and a list of necessary tools to get the job done successfully. Well, when it comes to…
-
·
The Lord is My Strength and My Shield
Psalm 28:7(NLT) says, “The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” This is one of a few scriptures that Karen knew, but she held tightly to it. Her life had not been…
-
·
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
Growing up, the youngins in my family were chastised for listening to grown folk’s business, but if they hadn’t been gossiping, there would have been nothing to hear. The many relationships gone wrong was the talk of our small town. I remember hearing such-and-such and so-and-so were getting divorced because the wife found out that…
-
·
An Attentive Listener
Dear Heavenly Father, Please help us to listen more intently to Your Word. The world is a very unpredictable and chaotic place. To navigate through it, we need Your divine direction through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and You tell us that we also need to be careful about HOW we hear. Jesus Christ…
-
·
Clinging to You!
Dear Heavenly Father, Through the Apostle Paul, in 1Timothy 6:12 (NLT), You tells us, “Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.” Your Word tells us that faith is a fight. It is a…
-
·
Pray So God’s Love Can Bless You
Jesus Christ said in John 16:33(NLT), “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” As we examine what is happening all around us, we can see that even though this…
-
·
What Happens if Your Faith Isn’t Where It Needs to Be?
Just when you think you’ve gotten a clear understanding of what it means to walk by faith, something happens in your life to make you feel you’re almost back at square one. This is exactly what happened to me the day after having the most impactful prayer session I’ve…
-
·
He Will Exceed Your Expectations
The man you think you’ll marry, when everything is said and done, will most likely look completely different than the vision you hold in your head. This is often true with the perfect job, the ideal house or the car you’ll have. Proverbs 19:21(NLT) says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will…
-
·
Punishing Ourselves for the Past
The other day, I ran into a woman that I hadn’t seen in over 15 years. I didn’t see her at first, but she recognized me and immediately made her way to where I was standing. It was so good to see her. We hugged each other and the first words out of her mouth…
-
·
BE the Change You Want to See
In Nehemiah 8:10(NLT), the prophet had to remind God’s people who they were and to remember who God is to them. Nehemiah said, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t…
-
·
Wax in Our Spiritual Ears
Dear Heavenly Father, There are two things that I hear frequently from some of my brothers and sisters in Christ. The first is “I can’t hear God!” or said another way, “God isn’t speaking to me?” This implies that You are not communicating with them, and that can’t be true. You speak to us every…
-
·
Private Lives Brought to Light
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, taught a very powerful lesson in Matthew 6:16(NLT), and although he taught it in the context of the spiritual practice of fasting, it can be used in many other areas of our spiritual lives, namely, marriage preparation. He told the disciples, “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious,…
-
·
Happy in the Lord
Dear Heavenly Father, Sometimes we experience personal sadness because we look at ourselves and find fault. We don’t like our physical appearance or find some other attribute that we dislike. These kinds of feelings are sometimes intensified if we don’t have a special or significant person in our lives—someone that might reinforce the positive. You…
-
·
Driven to God
Psalm 86:1-7 (NLT) “1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. 2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. 3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly.…
-
·
Be Strong in God’s Grace
God said in 2Corinthians 12:9(NLT), “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” He spoke these words to the Apostle Paul at a time when Paul was dealing with a troubling situation. He sought the Lord three times to remove this vexing problem, and 2Corinthians 12:9 is the spiritual strategy for…
-
·
Stand Firm on the Promises of God
Exodus 23:20-22(NLT) “20 See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. 21 Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your…
-
·
Igniting A Spark in His Heart
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NLT) tells us, “9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble.” This is a great verse for anyone questioning whether God is in their corner when it…
-
·
The Irony of Weakness
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT) 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”9 So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships,…
-
·
You Will Find Rest
Matthew 11:28-30(NLT) 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke…
-
·
The Secret of Living in Every Situation
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT) 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with…
-
·
Ten Years without Coming Close
Over the holidays a friend told me she took her ex-boyfriend out for lunch. He’d been in town for the holidays, and since both have moved on and still remain good friends, they decided to catch-up. During dinner, he told her that he realized shortly after their break-up he’d messed up a really good thing…
-
·
Let’s Clean House
Saturday’s are my ‘clean house day.’ It’s the only day during the week that allows me time to make sure most of the house is clean the way I like it. My mother had all girls. She was never fooled by the surface cleaning we used to do in a hurry when we were younger.…
-
·
Keep Love in the Front Seat
Monica Green handles pressure very well. Some would say it comes from single-parenting two children, one of them with autism and the other high-schooler struggles with anxiety sometimes. Monica handles it all while keeping a smile on her face. Her bosses and coworkers love her; they are like family. When her long time employer was…